[Solved] Problem about file restoration

[LélZyk]

Hello everyone!

I've been using OO Calc for a long time now. Yesterday, I was using Calc again, but I had a problem with my PC and it shut down. When I restarted it, I wanted to reopen the OO file I was using at the time, and, as expected, the file restoration panel appeared, but it couldn't restore my file, it says it's locked by unknown user and can't be opened. I could make a copy of it and I can continue working on the copy, but every time I open OO, the restoration panel appears and the restoration never succeeds. Is there a fix for this?

Thanks in advance,
LélZyk

[RoryOF]

With OpenOffice closed, look in the target folder, enable viewing of hidden files, and delete any file of form

.~lock.Filename.od?#

There may not be any such.

Then go to the root of the OpenOffice User Profile, (enable viewing of hidden files) and delete any lock file (similar name) beside the folder User.

All should now be well.

[floris v]

When Apache OpenOffice (AOO) opens a document, it will create a .lock file with the same name as the document in the same folder. That will make it impossible for other users to open the same document for editing. Normally it will delete the .lock file when you close the document, but when AOO or the computer crashes, it can't do that. You will have to delete the .lock file yourself, in the Windows File Explorer with file extensions showing (they may be hidden by default).
The restoration panel popping up is a bad sign. It means that your document is damaged, possibly beyond repair. AOO documents are saved as zip files, you can try to open it in a program like WinZip or the native Windows archive handler and if that fails, chances are that you can't recover it. You may upload the file here for inspection. If it's too large, upload it to a file sharing site, preferably one where you don't have to register in order to download files, and post a link to it here.

[RoryOF]

From memory, the Unknown User message comes from a lock file in the OO User Profile.

I would not trust the file after accepting OO's offer to "restore" it; I would immediately Save under a different name, and would keep the last saved version of the original file in case it became necessary to redo the last editing session.

[LélZyk]

Hello guys!

I checked out the hidden files, the temp file was really there, and after deleting it and opening the original file, the restoration panel appeared again, the restoration was unsuccessful again, but it opened the file and I see no major data loss in it. The copy of it works perfectly too and I have no data loss there either by the way, now the only problem I have is the ever appearing restoration panel. As suggested, I will probably work on only the copy, and also I attempt to upload my original file here, I hope I succeed with it!

Thanks for the help everyone, I appreciate all of you!
LélZyk

[RoryOF]

When prompted again for restoration, press Cancel.

[LélZyk]

Oh, it fixed it! Thank you guys, you were incredibly fast and very professional! I'm very thankful to everyone contributing in fixing this!